Noble M12 History

Sports car · 2000–2008

History

Introduced in 2000, the M12 GTO was Noble's first full-production sports car and the model that built the marque's reputation. It paired a mid-mounted, twin-turbocharged V6 derived from the Ford Duratec with a lightweight glass-fibre body over a steel spaceframe and roll cage, with bodies and chassis assembled by Hi-Tech Automotive in South Africa before final completion in the UK.

The original M12 GTO used a 2.5-litre twin-turbo V6 making around 310 bhp; later GTO-3 and GTO-3R versions stepped up to a 3.0-litre bi-turbo with roughly 352 bhp. Weighing little over 1,000 kg, the M12 delivered supercar acceleration and cornering for a fraction of the price, earning it a giant-killer reputation in the contemporary press.

A related M14 was shown at the 2004 British Motor Show, but Lee Noble felt it was too similar to the existing car and dropped it before production. The M12 line ran until 2008, by which point it had been joined and ultimately surpassed by the track-focused M400.

Generations

M12 GTO · 2.5-litre twin-turbo (2000–2003)

Photo: “File:2002 Noble M12 GTO 2.5.jpg” by Vauxford / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 . Cropped to 16:9.

The original — a 2.5-litre twin-turbo Ford Duratec V6 making around 310 bhp in a sub-1,100 kg glass-fibre coupe (and convertible).
- 2001
  Photo: “File:2001 Noble M12 GTO.jpg” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
- 2002
  Photo: “File:2002 Noble M12 GTO 1.jpg” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
M12 GTO-3 / GTO-3R · 3.0-litre bi-turbo (2003–2008)

Photo: “File:2003 Noble M12 GTO-3R 1.jpg” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 4.0 . Cropped to 16:9.

Enlarged to a 3.0-litre bi-turbo V6 with roughly 352 bhp; the GTO-3R was the most-developed road version, with Garrett T25 turbos.
- 2003
  Photo: “File:2003 Noble M12 GTO-3.jpg” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
- 2004
  Photo: “File:2004 Noble M12 GTO-3R.jpg” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 . Cropped to 16:9.